


Freedom of the Press (That includes memes, right?)

by TheQueenOfWhump



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man - All Media Types, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Genre: Because honestly fuq that movie, Flash is kinda alright after a while, Gen, Gen z, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, I had to research so much so you guys better click on this, Identity Reveal, MJ and Shuri are Queens, Meme Lord Shuri (Marvel), Memes, Ned Leeds is a Good Bro, Ned Leeds is the best bro, Neither do I, Not Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie) Compliant, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, POV Multiple, Peter is a Little Shit, Peter is more than just a science nerd, Post-Captain America: Civil War (Movie), Post-Spider-Man: Homecoming, Protesting, Secret Identity, Secret Identity Fail, Seems like crack but it’s actually not, Social Media, The Avengers Are Good Bros, The Raft Prison (Marvel), There will be feels, Tony Stark is a genius but he doesn’t understand government, Twitter, and ned has no clue whats going on, can I write one story where Ross isn’t evil? No, he and mj talk politics all the time, the Sokovia Accords suck fight me, we love a queen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-02
Updated: 2018-10-15
Packaged: 2019-07-18 02:48:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,109
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16109213
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheQueenOfWhump/pseuds/TheQueenOfWhump
Summary: Juggling AP classes, Decathlon, a fake (?) internship at Stark Industries, teenage drama, and vigilante activities is a lot for a sixteen year old to handle, but Peter Parker thinks he’s gotten pretty good at it.But he didn’t exactly account for the Sokovia Accords - oh, wait. He did. Only, he was told he was “too young” to handle any of it, even though it was his rights he had wanted to fight for.Now it’s too late. The only thing he can do to fight is taunt the Raft guards - which usually ends with him on the wrong side of a fist.Not only has his freedom been taken away, but his identity has also been revealed on international television. Which is the worst thing that could’ve ever possibly happened to him, but y’know, Parker Luck and all that.And here’s the question Peter can’t answer, since he isn’t allowed contact with the outside world: will the world side with him, or against him?





	1. Chapter 1

There were only a few things Peter was sure of that Monday morning:

  1. The Sokovia Accords were getting out of hand.  
  2. Tony Stark was protecting him from said Accords.
  3. He was half asleep.
  4. May was making casserole that night.
  5. AP US Government _sucked_.



As he sat in the lecture hall at the wonderful time of seven freaking forty-three AM, the only things he could focus on were the fact that he had skipped breakfast (which included his rumbling stomach) and how absolutely ridiculous the lecture was.

Just the week before, they were going over constitutional amendments and civil liberties, and now they were talking about the Sokovia Accords like they followed the same rules.

A paradox. An oxymoron. Anything but something possible.

Peter could go on and on and _on_ about the Accords. They were . . . well, they just _sucked_.

Were they civil? No. Were they constitutional? Heck no! Were they even _law_? Nope! 

Peter had an entire _journal_ dedicated to this. He liked to take notes inside it instead during lectures, marking down points in the Accords that infringed on rights given to the people. 

(Some people even thought that enhanced people didn’t even _deserve_ rights.) 

(Bull.)

The problem was that no one listened to him. He tried to talk to Tony about it, to help him in his fight against Ross in the court. But Tony always dismissed him before he could get anything out, saying he was “too young” to understand what was going on.

But Peter still watched the debates held between the parties on the amending of the Accords. They tried using the argument that the government didn’t have the right to regulate enhanced individuals because it didn’t fall under the regulations of commerce. 

Peter knew better: enough of the Accords infringed on the constitution that if it were to brought before the Supreme Court to become law, it would not pass.

Which was probably why it was still only ratified by other countries.

But that didn’t mean it was law - yet it was still enforced in the US despite it not being _constitutional_ \- or law or a treaty or _something_ \- which didn’t even make _sense_ -

It was all extremely frustrating.

Peter was also like, 99.5% sure that Tony’s lawyers either sucked or were being paid by the government to not tell him the real reason he should fight the Accords.

Peter was pretty sure he was one of the only people to have actually _read_ the Accords. The subjects they were covering in class (through what Peter could tell from the minute bit of attention he was giving Mr. Marten) had nothing to do with the parts that sucked. 

He was about to rip his own ears off. 

“. . . the idea that the UN should oversee all enhanced activity-“ 

“Peter Parker, please report to the main office,” the snotty voice of the secretary rang out from the announcement system. 

 _Well, at least I can get out of class for a little while_ , he thought to himself, not worried that he had nothing scheduled that day. He was too tired to care. They probably just wanted him to go to the attendance office and tell them why he had been late almost every day the previous week.

He moved to get up, but Ned tapped his shoulder.

“Dude, do you want me to watch your backpack?” he whispered, looking down at what was probably Peter’s seventh backpack that year.

Peter nodded quickly before looking to Mr. Marten and pointing to the door. “Can I-“

“Go ahead,” he said as he waved him off. “As I was saying . . .”

The door closed behind him, and Peter breathed a sigh of relief.

He hated AP Gov.

————

When the bell rang to signify the end of first period, Ned started to worry.

Why wasn’t Peter back yet?

It wasn’t exactly . . . _unlike_ him to disappear in the middle of class. What was weird, though, was the fact that they had called him over the announcements.

“He not back from the office yet?” Michelle asked as she sat down next to Ned, indicating to the bag at his side. She must’ve heard his name over the announcements since she didn’t have AP Gov with them. 

He glanced down at the bag - Peter had this class with both of them, but as the bell rang, Ned began to worry even more.

Wait - what if it was Avengers related? That would be so _cool_!

Ned was Peter’s Guy in the Chair, so he would be a little hurt if it was and he hadn’t told him - but he was too excited to care.

Maybe it was too secret. Something about the legal stuff on TV? Ned really didn’t understand it all, but Peter and MJ talked about it enough together that he knew it was bad news.

Or maybe something Spider-Man related had come up last minute, or . . . something. 

Ned quickly pulled out his phone before the teacher could start the lesson to open the news app. There were a few generic articles over the Accords debate and other things in the media at the top, as per usual.

He hit refresh, and- 

“Mr. Leeds, put the phone away or I will have to take it.”

He quickly shut off the phone, but not before he saw the word “Spider-Man” come up as the first word in the top article. 

He smiled, not caring that he wasn’t aware of what had happened. 

His life was so awesome.

——— 

His life was not awesome.

“Hey, loser!” Flash jeered from across the hall as Ned walked to his third period. “Parker still ditching? It would be a shame if he were to miss decathlon again and the spot would go to me.”

 _Take a long hike off a short pier_ , Ned wanted to say. 

If only they knew he was Spider-Man’s Guy in the Chair. They would treat him better. Maybe he could even be a bit popular. 

But the attitude Peter had towards his identity was starting to rub off on Ned. He didn’t need everyone to know the good he was doing - popularly wasn’t the issue. Helping people was.

And he wouldn’t even know who his friends were. Everyone would be all over him, trying to get information on Spider-Man. 

If they found out it was Peter . . . . Eek. That would not end well. 

He only good thing that would come from it would probably be Flash stopping his _own_ extra activities, Ned thought as he glared at the back of his head.

———

Ned was starting to worry again. 

The only people he sat with at lunch were Peter and MJ. She was in a meeting with the Debate Team, and Peter was still off doing who-knew-what with his amazing skills. So Ned was sitting alone.

It wasn’t exactly unlike Peter to skip class to save a kitten from a tree. But he always came back once he was done.

And according to that article he had seen, Peter was already done with his spider activities. So Ned just didn’t understand- 

“WHAT THE _F*CK_?!?” 

Everyone turned to the direction of the sound. There was a girl at a table across the cafeteria, looking down at her phone with eyes the size of saucers.

“Ch- _check the News App_!” she yelled. “Oh my . . . Oh my _God_ . . .” She continued to babble to herself, seemingly unable to get anything else out through her apparent shock as she covered her mouth with her hand.

Students were allowed on their phones only during lunch, and they hardly ever used that time to check the news. But no one hesitated to open the app, including Ned.

What he saw shocked him to the _core_.

If he had been aware of what was going on around him, he would’ve heard the shocked reactions of his classmates, too. 

The top article he had seen (which was now #1 on Trending) was titled so simply that it disgusted him.

 

**Spider-Man Arrested Under the Sokovia Accords**

 

Oh _no_.

Ned was already about to have a panic attack, but when he opened the article, he dropped his phone. The screen shattered, but it didn’t matter.

He could still see the picture. 

It wasn’t a picture of a masked superhero. It wasn’t a picture of someone swinging around, and it wasn’t someone helping a kitten out of a tree.

There, with his hands cuffed behind his back in front of what was clearly Midtown Tech, was Peter Parker.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So.... what’d you think??
> 
> This is a fic that’s been stuck in my head for a while now. Is it a cool idea? Would you want to keep reading? Is it well written?
> 
> This story will be an identity reveal fic with some political stuff (just marvel politics don’t worry I won’t even go down that road), memes, plot (?), and some good old angst sprinkled in between. 
> 
> It will be multiple POV chapters, so get used to that. I mean, unless you guys hate this and don’t want to keep reading. 
> 
> Thanks for reading :)))


	2. Chapter 2

Peter was torn between being terrified - completely, one hundred percent _terrified_ \- and annoyed.

He was leaning both ways at the moment, but terrified was really presenting a winning argument.

There were _cameras_ \- oh _God_ \- and the people behind the cameras knew who he was.

Or rather, _what_ he was.

He was definitely terrified. He felt raw panic clawing up his throat, ready to breach its way up in the form of hot tears.

But some part of him was undeniably _angry_.

He was being arrested without a trial, as a minor, which was completely legal under the Accords. Which weren’t even law. Okay, they _were_ , but it was complicated.

He couldn’t do anything about it, and _that_ was why he was annoyed.

The exact thing he had been afraid of - the reason he had been trying to fight the Accords - had happened. He was being arrested. He was being taken away.

He had been told he was too young for all of it.

The law said otherwise.

———

Ned stared down at his phone on the ground, not even a little bit upset that his once sleek phone was now in ruins.

_Holy sh- that’s freaking Peter Parker. That is not Spider-Man. That’s my best friend._

_My best friend is on the news. My best friend was arrested._

_And now everyone knows the truth._

_Oh God._

He slowly looked up at the rest of the cafeteria, and saw all of the shocked expressions of everyone with their phones out, and _they_ showed the people that _didn’t_ have their phones out, and the number of people looking absolutely dumbstruck was growing.

Then someone looked at him, and pointed.

And more and more people started to stare at Ned, who probably looked like a fish out of water.

Ned didn’t know what to do.

So he bolted.

_What do I do? What do I do? Oh no, oh God, what do I do?_

_Where are you, Peter?_

———

Helicopters had freaked Peter out when he was young, but as soon as he became Spider-Man, that fear of falling from a smoking helicopter stopped. He knew he could just swing out if need be.

It was weird that he was afraid of that as a kid. It was one of those childhood irrational fears - like quicksand or something. Something he never would logically deal with within his lifetime. It kind of reminded him of the one comedian but he saw on Netflix one time.

Apparently not.

He had never been in a helicopter before, so he wasn’t sure why they had freaked him out so much.

Well, his younger self was right.

Being in a helicopter with a bunch of huge bodyguards and his hands chained behind him was making ice slowly crawl into his stomach, slowly, piece by piece - yet somehow all at once.

It was like it was all there, but he simply became more aware of it the longer he looked out the window and into the grey ocean.

He wasn’t stupid. He knew exactly where they were taking him.

And it terrified him.

Mr. Stark had told him about how the rogue Avengers had “mysteriously” escaped from the Raft, but Peter could read between the lines. No one else had the intellect to break into a giant floating aluminum can of a prison. 

 _Prison_ \- the word stuck out in Peter’s mind. Was he a prisoner now? 

Was this going on his permanent record?

 _Of course it is, you idiot_ , he thought to himself bitterly. _It’s going on every record for the world to see._

Oh yeah. The entire world probably knew who he was by now, and that thought put his insides in a blender and turned the dial up it to eleven. 

Did Mr. Stark know about this? Was he fighting for him? Was he going to break into the Raft like before and save him?

Well, there was one problem with that. Scratch that, actually. There were a ton.

For one, the Accords were mainstream. The public knew about them and the fight enhanced people had with them. And there was no way Tony could break into the Raft again - they probably increased security by quite a lot.

And the government wouldn’t be fooled as easily a second time.

Peter sighed. _What am I going to_ do _?_

Something Mr. Marten has said to his class once suddenly stuck out in his mind.

_If you’re ever detained - and God forbid - always say: “I want a lawyer.” They legally can’t do anything to you until they provide you with one. And don’t say anything else, because it can be used against you._

“I want a lawyer.” 

An amused grunt. “No.”

Yep. That was definitely ice in his stomach. The government under the Sokovia Accords was different (even though they shouldn’t have been law in the first place) so he was definitely screwed.

And to top it all off, the government knew his identity. 

They all knew - the _world._  The world knew who he was-

Wait. 

 _MJ_.

Now _MJ_ would know.

. . . 

Crap.

———

Ned ran through the empty halls without really seeing them.

He found himself in the bathroom, and paced. He paced long after he heard the bell ring. He was pretty sure he saw a few people try and come in out of the corner of his eye, but as soon as they saw him they turned right around. 

Ned didn’t care. 

Peter was who knew where - where had Mr. Marten said they put people arrested under the Accords? Some place in the ocean?

What was Ned going to say to everyone? _Hey, I know you’ve treated Peter and I like crap before, but we do good, and he’s in the middle of the Atlantic, so please stop?_

What were they even thinking? Were they going to side with the government? Or would they side with Peter and the other enhanced people? 

It was all just _wrong_. So very, very wrong. Peter didn’t belong in a cell, and he didn’t deserve any of this.

The sight of Peter in a cell, sitting on some cot because of some evil government officials, made Ned almost throw up his lunch.

“Hey, loser,” someone said from the doorway.

Ned’s head whipped up. “What - wait - you . . . MJ, this is the boys room!” 

She shrugged. “And no boys are using it.”

He was going to argue, but he just shook his head in defeat. He didn’t have the energy to deal with something so trivial. There were so many other things that were wrong at that moment. 

“I’m assuming you know?” he asked dejectedly. 

She just shrugged again. “Not like I didn’t before - and don’t even give me that.” Ned closed his mouth before he could say anything. “It’s a miracle it took them this long to arrest him.”

Ned shot her a glare. “Oh, so you agree with them? You think he’s better behind bars?”

Ned wasn’t expecting her to show any emotion. That was just how she was. So when she glared right back at him, he froze mid motion.

“I _never_ said that. Nothing about this is really legal. He didn’t get a trial, or a fair and unbiased jury, and he probably didn’t even get due process.”

Ned blinked. “Ok, pretend I’m a government nerd and know what you’re talking about-“ 

“Oh, shut up.” And as soon as the emotion had come, it was gone. She tossed him something, and Ned realized with a jolt that it was Peter’s backpack. “You’re lucky I grabbed his before the school started going through it. Come on.” She gestured for him to follow, and he did.

“Where are we going?” he asked as they practically speed walked down the halls. 

“Class, idiot,” she said. “Just because Peter’s going to fail now doesn’t mean we have to.”

Ned swallowed the sickness he felt at the comment about Peter. “Hey-“

She shot him a look. While there wasn’t much emotion, he could clearly see that this was hurting her, too. “Just - just come on.” 

And they went to class, even if Ned didn’t pay a single bit of attention to the teacher.

———

Peter would never forget how seeing the Raft for the first time made him feel.

It rose out of the water below them. It made terror and nausea rise up in Peter like water in the Titanic. 

He didn't want to end up inside of it, but his fate was sealed.

They decended towards the large prison, and Peter just about threw up.

But instead of getting the inside of the helicopter messy, and most likely ticking off the guards, Peter decided it was in his best interest to simply talk his nerves away.

 _Sorry, Mr. Marten, but if I’m not getting a trial, it doesn’t matter_ what _I say._

“So, are you gonna read me my rights?” 

The guard pushing him out of the helicopter grunted. “You have no rights.”

Peter’s insides turned even colder at that, but he managed to make himself look annoyed. “According to the Bill of Rights, I most certainly do. And also - Miranda Rights? Ever heard of ‘em? I should at least get those-“ 

“Actually, you do have one,” another guard grumbled as he joined the other in dragging Peter. “The right to remain silent. Use it.”

Peter pretended to think for a moment. “Nah - don’t think I will.”

And so Peter kept talking, and talking, and talking. The guards seemed more and more annoyed, but that honestly just fueled his fire.

As he talked, he looked at his surroundings. He was on a large helicopter landing pad, and the roof over him was closing.

His stomach twisted in a knot when it sealed shut, cutting off his view of the sky, which had been cold and gray. 

Now everything was just dark, despite the harsh fluorescent lighting of the Raft.

He tried not to think about the fact that he probably wouldn’t see that same sky again for a long time.

They turned towards a door, and they began their way through a long grey hallway. It was bone chillingly cold and just as painfully bright, yet dark all the same - and crazily silent, save for the constant chatter Peter was providing.

“-you have the right to a trial by jury,” he was saying in a deep voice, clearly a bad impersonation of the guards as they went through a large steel door. “You have the ri-“

“I swear to God, kid,” the guard said. “Shut up.” 

“Nah.”

“Doesn’t matter,” the other guard said as they stopped abruptly. “We’re here.”

Peter looked at where they were, and though his insides might’ve been cold before, now they were simply just  _ice_. Churning ice that wouldn’t stay settled, but ice nonetheless.

They were stopped outside of a circle of cells - cells that were so small, so plain, and so _confining_ that it hurt Peter to look at them.

His breaths quickened slightly, and everything suddenly felt like it was closing in on him - and, of course, that was the exact moment the guards decided to push him into a cell and slam the door shut.

Peter shook himself a bit and turned around, trying not to let his growing panic show on his face. “A-aren’t you going to take the cuffs off at least?” 

One of the guards smirked as they both started to walk towards the door. “We will eventually - but I don’t think you’ll like the alternative.” 

And with that bone-chilling comment, they left Peter alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there’s the second chapter! A bit short, but I’m trying to cut it up reasonably.
> 
> Wow! So much positive feedback from the first chapter! I hope you all like what I have planned! 
> 
> Oh, and I got a kitten. I named him Peter, he’s tiny, Will Fight You but poses no threat because cinnamon roll, and he loves to find the most dangerous thing in the room and going tonexplore. I think I named him appropriately. 
> 
> Oh, and tonight was my homecoming night but guess who didn’t go! *finger guns* I hate social customs, fanfiction is much better. 
> 
> If you got the comedian reference about the quicksand, I applaud you.
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	3. Chapter 3

The bell was going to ring, and Ned couldn’t have cared less.  
  
What on earth was he going to do? What was _anyone_ doing? Was there some sort of plan Tony Stark had cooked up just in case this were to ever happen?

That would be insanely awesome if that were the case.  
  
Did the whole school know Peter’s secret? Did the entire  _world_ know? Did New York now know that it’s small time hero was actually a high school student?  
  
Ned just clutched the handle of Peter’s backpack tighter.  
  
Inside of it was _the suit_.  
  
When he saw it in there after MJ gave it back to him, he was actually a little shocked - Peter had trusted him with it. And now Ned wasn’t sure if he would ever see him again.     
  
Ok - that was a bit far. He was going to see Peter again. Maybe not soon, but he would. And he would be clear of all they had charged him of, and some dramatic music would play in the background, and he would hand him the Spider-Man suit in an epically iconic way, and Ned would join the Avengers ‘cause he was just that cool, and-  
  
The bell suddenly rang, cutting off Ned’s thoughts.  
  
He practically sprinted out the door and to his locker. He had agreed to meet MJ there after class, and she wasn’t one to forgive lateness.  
  
As expected, she was already there when he arrived. “Hey, emergency practice,” she said to him. “You can also be the first to sign it.”  
  
He was about to ask her what she was talking about when he got a notification on his phone. He took it out, and sure enough there, was a message from MJ.  
  
He clicked on the link, and was brought to a petition.  
  
A petition against the Sokovia Accords.  
  
Ned clicked the button without a second thought.  
  
———  
  
Tony Stark was pacing, which was never a good sign. And he was also trying to be as quiet as possible - which, while still a bad sign, wasn’t as bad of a sign. Together, though, there were definitely very bad.  
  
Usually when Tony paced in silence, it was the end of the world. And this was literal - his profession dealt in end-of-the-world crises.  
  
This, however, was even worse. Tony would’ve rather had the end of the world. At least he could just stick a gun on his back and hope for the best with an alien invasion or fly in a metal suit to the hideout of a secret evil agency.  
  
Oh, no. This was so much worse.

He felt like he was going to throw up.  
  
He was pacing outside of a court of law after he had gotten a notification from Rhodey about the kid. And he was trying to be as quiet as possible, but he was finding it hard to keep it all in.  
  
The kid - who he pretty much considered  his kid at this point - was all over the news, and it was because he was in the middle of the ocean.  
  
He was being held. In a cell. In the middle of the f*cking _ocean_.  
  
The Sokovia Accords were _garbage_. He decided that right then and there. They had to go, one way or another.  
  
He still wasn’t sure if he had made the right call on signing the Accords. For one, he had to play by the UN’s rules. But on the other, it might have been the only chance he had to get Peter out.  
  
He hoped he had made the right call.  
  
He had definitely made the wrong call on helping the Rogue Avengers escape - they had upped security, and he wouldn’t be able to get away with it again.  
  
And it meant that his kid was alone.  
  
Alone in some cell because he had decided to help people.  
  
Tony pushed that thought from his mind with everything he had. Worrying wouldn’t help him at all. Worrying about Peter wouldn’t get him out.  
  
He had no doubt in his mind, of course, that he would’ve ended up in there anyway if Ross had found out about him in some other way. But becoming Spider-Man just made it so that it was inevitable.  
  
Why didn’t the kid just stay low to the ground? He wouldn’t have been caught up in all this.  
  
It would’ve been better if Tony had never gone to recruit him in the first place.  
  
Sure, Tony would’ve missed working with him in the lab and the occasional movie night - ok, he would’ve missed that a lot - but the kid would’ve been better off if he had never sought him out. He probably would’ve given up the hero business and just gone on with his normal life.  
  
(Tony knew this wasn’t true, but it was easier just to blame himself.)  
  
He would rather have Peter free and not know him than a kid he loved but locked up.

There was no way to contact him. He knew Ross wouldn’t let him after what happened with the Rogue Avengers.

Yeah, Tony definitely regretted that part.  
  
Thoughts of Peter in a similar situation to Wanda plagued his mind as he walked back into the courtroom, but he pushed them away. It wasn’t likely that they would do that to a child.  
  
Right?  
  
———  
  
Peter learned what the “alternative” was to the handcuffs.  
  
But first they had used gas to knock him out. Not cool. Especially considering the fact that he had almost had a panic attack when he first saw the white substance seeping out of the ventilation systems.  
  
When he came to, he wasn’t wearing the same outfit anymore. He was wearing navy blue pants, with nothing on his feet - everything they touched was cold as ice - and a _black straight jacket_.  
  
He hadn’t realized he was wearing it at first. In all honesty, he didn’t even remember where he was when he woke up. He thought it was a regular old Saturday morning because of the way he woke up - slowly, with a slight headache, like he had spent the entire night as Spider-Man and went to bed at four in the morning.  
  
But no. He wasn’t at home, May wasn’t cooking breakfast in the kitchen, and he wasn’t wearing anything remotely comfortable.  
  
The straight jacket held his arms in what was probably the most uncomfortable position possible: oddly crossed against his torso with his hands wrapping around to his lower back. Wonderful.  
  
Realizing you’re in a straight jacket is one of the worst experiences you can have. Peter had found this out in a very unfortunate way. Panic crawls up your throat as you try to escape, but the way you’re restrained makes it impossible. It leaves tears in your eyes.

 _-and oh God, he couldn’t get out, and he was going to throw up if he didn’t get it off, and everything was closing in on him, and he was shaking with panic, oh God-_  
  
And let’s not forget the icing on the f*cking cake: his freaking _shock collar_ , like he was poorly behaved dog or something.  
  
And speaking of ice, his stomach had turned _rigid_ when he realized what the metal ring around his neck was - a far worse feeling than the one that had come with the straight jacket.  
  
It was emitting a faint high pitched noise, too - not loud enough for the average person to hear, but just enough so that it would make him uncomfortable because of his sensitive hearing. And it’s faint blinking light reflected ever so slightly off of the dull metal walls.  
  
He only knew what it was because of the extra research he had done on the Accords. They were used to keep “extremely dangerous enhanced individuals” in line.  
  
The fact that that was what they thought of him only made the tears in his eyes spill over tenfold.

He couldn’t wipe them away.  
  
He laid there in the bed - which was more like a piece of plastic on top of a piece of metal - trying not to hyperventilate. He closed his eyes and took deep, shaky breaths. He couldn’t panic. Not now.  
  
People were coming for him. They public knew about his situation, and the public liked Spider-Man well enough, right?  
  
Well, most of the public.  
  
Now that he had nothing to preoccupy his mind - relatively, as in there was nothing actually taking place other than his own emotional problems -  he could finally focus on the thought he had been pushing to the back of his head since he had been arrested.  
  
His friends and family were in danger.  
  
He wasn’t stupid. He had made a lot of enemies as Spider-Man, and now that his identity was out in the open there was nothing standing between his family and some sort of attack.  
  
He was here, in the middle of the ocean. If someone were to find his address and attack May, he would be completely helpless to stop it.  
  
And he wouldn’t even know. There was no contact allowed with the Raft prisoners and the outside world.  
  
He just hoped Mr. Stark would protect them.  
  
———  
  
“Listen, I don’t care who he is! He could be God himself for all the f*cks I give! Now let me through _right_ _this_ _minute_ or _so_ _help_ _me_ -”  
  
Tony knew that voice, and he didn’t think there was anything more terrifying than an angry May Parker.  
  
“Hey, she’s with me,” he told the security guards as he exited the courthouse. May had been screaming at them when he had opened the first set of doors, and she looked somewhat worried - but mostly _livid_.  
  
She had every right to be angry. But that didn’t make her any less terrifying.  
  
“Tony _Stark_ , I _swear_ to-“  
  
“Come on,” he said as he walked past her and motioned for her to follow. He got in the fancy car parked out front as Happy opened the door for both of them, but May didn’t follow.  
  
He sighed as he stepped back out of the car. “May-“  
  
“Don’t you _dare_ ,” she said, pointing a shaking finger at him. Tears shone in her eyes, but her face was remarkably stony. “You say you’ve been _fighting_ , or _compromising_ , or _something_ , with these people, and - and - now he’s somewhere off in the _ocean_ because you can’t just _do_ something-“  
  
She was right. He had failed her. He had failed Peter.  
  
“May, I’m trying-“  
  
He was suddenly cut off by a harsh slap in the face.  
  
Tony’s face turned a bit red when he realized they were basically surrounded by reporters at this point, but he kept his composure. “I had nothing to do with this-“  
  
“ _Bullsh_ * _t_!” May screamed. “And I don’t care! I want him back! I want my Peter back, _godd_ * _mmit_!”  
  
He sighed again. He decided not to put a hand on the fuming woman’s shoulder as he addressed her. “I understand you’re upset-“  
  
“ _Upset_ -“  
  
“-but this is not the place to do this.”  
  
May opened her mouth, stopped and looked around for a split second, seemingly decided on something, and closed it. She said nothing as she walked straight past him and into the car.  
  
Tony felt slightly relieved as he followed her in. Happy shut the door behind them, and the flashes of the cameras and sounds of the reporters were dimmed immediately.  
  
May immediately lost her composure. Her head fell into her hands as she started to shake with sobs, each one wracking her tiny frame like an earthquake.  
  
Tony put a hand gentle but tentative hand on her shoulder, and the next thing he knew, he had his arms full of a crying aunt.  
  
“W-what am I gonna do?” she cried into his shoulder. “He’s - he’s just a boy - _my_ boy-“  
  
“It’s going to be alright,” Tony said, ignoring the way his voice cracked. “He’s a strong kid. He can hold out until I can get them to move on the matter.”  
  
“You’ve been at it for months-“  
  
“I have to,” Tony said. “I won’t let them win.”  
  
And he wouldn’t. He would fight for Peter for as long as it took.  
  
Hopefully it wouldn’t be that long.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait!! 
> 
> This is gonna get interesting I promise.. love you guys :D each review makes me smile :D
> 
> Endgame is gonna fricking kill me


	4. Chapter 4

“Wait . . . so your plan is to have Tony Stark . . . _lose_?”

 

“Yeah, genius. Well, either that, or just stop the amendment process entirely. Which would probably be better, actually.”

 

“And . . .” Ned scratched his head as they walked to practice. “How will this help?”

 

MJ sighed. “So he can take them to court.”

 

Ned blinked. “And that will help how?”

 

“So it can make it to the Supreme Court.”

 

“And that would help because. . .”

 

“They would declare certain parts of the Accords unconstitutional.”

 

“Then what’s the petition for?”

 

She shrugged. “Show. It won’t do anything really, just show how much support we have so we can say we have public favor. And to convince Tony Stark to join our side.”

 

“Okay? And why are we doing this?”

 

She looked up, like she was asking what she had done to deserve this, before sighing and looking back at him. “It would be slow. We’d probably have to sue only one or two parts at a time. Or maybe not, if we play our cards right. New York is on Ross’ side, so it will make it to the Supreme Court rather quickly. We should probably sue Ross directly under the clause that makes cruel and unusual punishment legal to force onto American citizens with enhancements - you know, in the form of shock collars-“

 

“ _What_?”

 

She stopped and stared at him. “Have you not read the Accords?”

 

He just huffed, trying to get the image of Peter wearing a shock collar out of his head before he could throw up. “No - they didn’t teach us about that part, though!”

 

She shrugged again. “They only want us to know certain things. It makes us powerless when the real battles begin.”

 

Ned couldn’t help his shiver. “You’re scary - you know that, right?”

 

MJ rolled her eyes.

 

“Hey, loser!”

 

Oh, _great_. Just what Ned had needed. And considering they were in the main stairwell, there were plenty of students around. Probably just what he had wanted.

 

Ned sighed. “What do you want, Flash?”

 

People started to turn and look at them. Most of them knew that Flash was a jerk, and with the news about Peter spreading like wildfire, they all knew they would all certainly be . . . _intrigued_ by whatever was going to be said.

 

Ned just resented Flash for it.

 

The said bully just sneered. “It’s fake, isn’t it? The whole Spider-Man thing? There’s no way it’s him.”

 

Whispers broke out among the students, but Ned didn’t care. Anger boiled inside of him, but he kept a straight face and chose his words carefully. “You have no right to say that.”

 

He bully scoffed. “Oh, I think I do. I know just how weak he is. There’s no way.”

 

The fire inside of Ned grew. “Flash, can you just _not_ -“

 

“This is some bout for attention, isn’t it? Like the Stark internship? When people find out the truth, you guys will be in so much trouble. I mean, it’s really a shame. He thinks that this will work and we’re all going to just believe him. Well, we’re not his dead family-“

 

“ _Shut up_!” Ned screamed.

 

There must have been something in Ned’s eyes - a spark, or some hint as to how absolutely _livid_ he was - because Flash stopped talking.

 

Everything suddenly bubbled to the surface. Everything Ned had held in when Peter was laughed at or made fun of, everything he had held back when he was pushed around by Flash and other jerks. All the stuff had wanted to scream at the world.

 

The only thing that had held him back was Peter and his will to stay out of the spotlight.

 

Well, he was already in the national - and international - spotlight.

 

Screw it.

 

“You don’t have the right to talk about him like that!” Ned yelled. Flash stepped back, but Ned just stepped right on forward. “He is in _prison_ for _helping_ people, and you’re talking about him like he’s _nothing_!”

 

He started addressing the crowd. Most of them were shell-shocked, and a few of them even had their phones out, recording everything.

 

Did Ned care? No.

 

He was done with Peter being pushed around

 

“What have you ever done for him besides hurting him? I’ve lost count of how many times Flash has bullied him, but you all aren’t any better! You treated him like dirt!”

 

He went back to Flash, a memory suddenly making him even angrier. “You remember that time you made fun of him for flinching when you pretended to jump him?” He didn’t even wait for a response. “He was dealing with a _gunshot wound_.”

 

Flash’s eyes grew even wider. “I - I didn’t-“

 

“ _No_.” Ned glared at him and the crowd. “He’s a good person that didn’t deserve the way you treated him. It doesn’t matter that he ‘wasn’t cool,’ and it doesn’t matter that he’s Spider-Man.”

 

And there it was - the confirmation that everyone had been waiting for. You could see the jaws drop at that - that it wasn’t some media joke.

 

Ned just kept going.

 

“You all need to think about people other than yourselves. Because the best student in this school - _my best friend_ \- is probably in a _shock collar_ right now.”

 

“Don’t forget the straight jacket,” MJ piped up, as she was seemingly the only one unaffected by Ned’s rant.

 

Ned’s eyes got a little wide - _straight jacket?_ \- but he held it together enough to back her up. “Yeah. Yeah, that too.”

 

“Wait,” Betty said from the stairs. She looked paler than usual. “They can _do_ that?”

 

Ned was about to answer, but MJ beat him to it.

 

“They can do all that and more under the Accords,” she said with nonchalance. “And if you care or ever cared about Peter, or care about what happens to him, you can be in the auditorium in ten minutes. Tell people who are already home, too, or whatever.”

 

She started walking away, and after a moment of confusion, Ned scrambled to follow her.

 

“What was _that_?” he scream-whispered.

 

She turned around and raised an eyebrow. “Shouldn’t I be asking you that?”

 

Fair. “I mean - I’m just sick of them treating him like garbage.”

 

She sighed. “Yeah, I know.”

 

“Do you think they’ll be on his side, or fight against him since he’s a mutant?”

 

“First of all, ‘mutant’ is offensive.” She turned to look back down the hallway, and the stairway was still full of a lot of shocked students. “But honestly? Our generation is one of the most accepting generations. And I have a plan.”

 

“Is that what the whole ‘meet in the auditorium in ten minutes’ was about? I thought you said we had decathlon?”

 

“I lied.”

 

“. . . oh.”

 

———

 

Okay, the straight jacket wasn't the worst part.

 

It was the _boredom_.

 

All he could do was sit there, and it was infuriating. He could look out through the glass and bars at the guards, and he swore he could've seen them smirking at him at one point.

 

“So is there anything to do?”

 

No answer.

 

“Hellooooo?”

 

No answer.

 

“Fine then.”

 

He then proceeded to start singing the most annoying song he could think of at the top of his lungs.

 

“ _DES-PA-CITO, I DON’T KNOW THE WORDS SO I SAY BURRITO_ -”

 

This went on for about a minute before one of the guards marched over to his cell, clearly fuming. Still, Peter didn't let up when he opened the door and marched over to him.

 

He did stop, though, when the guard punched him in the mouth.

 

“Shut up, or you'll be dealing with that metal around your neck.” He turned around to go back to his post.

 

Peter rolled his jaw a bit and said, “This is so sad, Alexa play Despacito.”

 

The guard turned around, eyes flaming as he reached for a small remote on his belt.

 

Peter had about enough time to blink before his world went white with agony.

 

\-------

 

The turnout was a lot better than Ned expected.

 

He wasn’t sure if MJ had had permission to use the auditorium, but he didn’t think any of the teachers had the courage to kick her out. And why would they? They all knew about Peter, and they knew they had no real right to say anything.

 

(They had done nothing while he had been bullied constantly.)

 

Even though Ned was happy at the large turnout, he still wanted to punch everyone there in the gut. They hadn’t cared about Peter before, so they didn’t have the right to suddenly care once he was outed as a superhero.

 

And Peter Parker was just as much of a superhero as Spider-Man. You just had to look in the right places.

 

“Alright,” MJ said as she got up in front of everyone, but she still wasn’t on the stage. Maybe she wanted to be more personable? Ned, truly, had no clue.

 

“I know most you didn’t really give a crap about Peter before you learned about his identity, so first order of business: screw all of you.”

 

The fact that no one said anything showed just how right she was.

 

“Okay,” she said like she hadn’t said anything at all. Which was probably easy for her, since everything she said sounded laid back and slightly condescending. “You guys need to understand one thing about the Sokovia Accords: the way they are now, they suck. I’m all for the concept, and so was Peter-“

 

Really? Ned hadn’t known that-

 

“-but they’re honestly the worst. They are downright unconstitutional and all of congress should be removed because of the passing of them in the US, in my opinion.”

 

Whispers broke out among the students, but MJ cut them off again.

 

“Now I propose that we gather support for this viewpoint. Anyone go doesn’t agree with me - and by extension, Peter - can get out of my sight.”

 

No one dared move, and Ned didn’t blame them.

 

“And we can start with this.” She pulled something from her bag and held it up for everyone to see.

 

It was an old blue notebook with the name “Peter Parker” was written in bold sharpie across the top. It had definitely seen better days.

 

Ned knew exactly what it was, though. That notebook had written out every part of the Sokovia Accords that were unconstitutional, and then some.

 

MJ smirked at all the confused expressions. “This is how we're going to defeat the Accords.”

 

She smirked and made eye contact with Ned, who smiled back.

 

“This is Peter's ticket out.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hiiiiiii  
> I’m alive!
> 
> PLEASE READ:
> 
> So so so sorry about the wait! I swear I’m so busy lately, and I’ve also been working on building my new tumblr account!! 
> 
> If you want more of my writing, you should go check it out! And you guys should TOTALLY tell me your thoughts on this chapter either with a review here or an ask there! My url is “spideys-sad-and-so-am-i”!!
> 
> Happy reading!!! Thanks so much for stopping by!

**Author's Note:**

> Comments give me life! I usually screenshot the ones that make me smile the most and look at them when I’m sad so... and anything makes me smile. 
> 
> I respond to all reviews! Cause I have no life!
> 
> Please review!!! I want to know what you think! Your ideas! Your opinions! They matter to me! Thank you:)


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